The consultation will inform the Scottish Government's update to its 2020 Offshore Wind Policy Statement, particularly with regard to an updated ambition for offshore wind.
The outlook for offshore wind in Scotland has changed since the original Offshore Wind Policy Statement (OWPS) was published in 2020, which outlined an ambition that Scotland's 2GW of operational and under construction offshore wind capacity at the time could grow to between 8GW and 11GW by 2030. Since then, there has been a significant increase in the number of potential offshore wind developments due to the ScotWind and the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing rounds which concluded in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
The ScotWind and INTOG leasing rounds symbolise the enormous economic potential of offshore wind and put Scotland at the forefront of development globally, with a current reported potential pipeline of over 40GW of offshore wind projects on top of our existing operational capacity.
The policy and planning landscape has also evolved across the United Kingdom, particularly through the publication of the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. In addition, a long-term GB-wide Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) – delivered by NESO and co-commissioned by the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments – is being developed to inform decision-making on energy infrastructure on the land and in the sea so we can realise the opportunities the clean energy transition represents. We will continue to work closely with NESO to ensure alignment with the development of the SSEP.
Our updated ambition is underpinned by our wish to maximise the significant economic opportunity which offshore wind presents for Scotland. We want to see the maximum possible deployment of the Scottish offshore wind project pipeline, whilst balancing the impact on the marine environment and other marine users.
As we committed to in the Green Industrial Strategy, and in light of the significant ambition demonstrated by the private sector in the ScotWind and INTOG leasing rounds, now is the right time to highlight key achievements and developments since 2020, and to set out an updated ambition for Scotland alongside our plans to ensure that the benefits of offshore wind will be felt for generations to come.
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Source: Scottish Government
